This invention relates in general to superconducting composite materials and in particular to a superconducting bearing composed of a matrix of acrylic thermoplastic and superconducting powder.
The Meissner effect is the expulsion of applied magnetic flux to a superconductor. With Type I superconductors, there is a complete Meissner effect with total expulsion of applied magnetic flux. Type II superconductors are those which have a significantly higher temperature at which they exhibit superconductivity, T.sub.c. However, the Type II superconductors exhibit a partial Meissner effect combined with a "flux pinning" effect, wherein a portion of a magnetic field placed proximate the Type II superconductor does penetrate the superconductor, and is essentially fixed in place.
High-temperature Type II superconductors are potentially important for a variety of applications such as electrical conductors, shields of magnetic flux, field induced magnets, and passive magnetic or flux trapping bearings. For the flux shield, magnets, and bearing applications, the superconductor may need to be fabricated into a wide variety of shapes and sizes. These shapes can range from simple discs to more complex forms. However, to optimize the properties necessary for these applications, the superconductor material must be processed to promote the formation of long, aligned grains. This type of processing is not readily conducive to the fabrication of even simple shapes. Therefore, a novel approach to fabricating high-temperature superconductors is needed.